4 Facts About Illinois Medical Marijuana Laws

Illinois Governor, Bruce Rauner, has signed into law changes that create a new class of use for medical marijuana users. Here are four points to help understand the changes:

1. These new changes provide for more access to medical marijuana. sdThe new law allows medical marijuana to be used as a replacement for opioid pain medication. That means anyone whose doctor would write them a prescription for pain pills like OxyContin or Vicodin could be certified for medical marijuana. Eventually, patients will be able to take their doctor certifications directly to a dispensary, complete their registration there and begin purchasing cannabis, and state health officials will review the registration later to make sure it meets the requirements of the law.

2. Changes will also provide for easier access. For other medical cannabis patients — those who have one of about 40 qualifying serious and often chronic conditions — the application process will no longer include background checks and fingerprinting. Patients will also be able to get provisional approval to buy marijuana while their applications are being processed.

3. New Illinois Marijuana Law changes will also effect how much, and how frequently a patient will have access to medical marijuana. Those who qualify for medical pot for opioid replacement will be able to purchase cannabis at a licensed dispensary for 90 days, but that can be renewed with a physician’s approval. For other patients, certification lasts for three years, a time frame that was lengthened from one year. Qualifying patients can buy up to 2.5 ounces every two weeks. The medical marijuana law, including the new opioid-replacement measure, is currently in a pilot phase until July 1, 2020, and would need to be extended or made permanent in order to continue beyond that date.

4. The governor and the state health chief may have endorsed marijuana as a painkiller substitute, but the state is still fighting in court over adding so-called intractable pain — or pain that’s resistant to other treatment — as its own qualifying condition. In January, a Cook County judge ordered intractable pain to be added to the list, but the state chose to appeal the ruling.